Monday, September 30, 2013

Free Cup of Joe

Greetings in Christ Jesus, Fellow Soldiers.

Just a reminder that you can get a weekly free cup of coffee by going to the Green Beans website and signing up. The coffee is purchased by friends back in the States who love you, support what you do, and are often praying for you.

Sign up and let them bless you and support their soldiers. You have the option, and I encourage you to take it, of writing them a note of thanks back and even becoming pen pals.

And as you think of their support, remember that it is God who strengthens you in the armor of Christ (Eph. 6). He alone will give you the strength you need to love, grow and persevere in the knowledge and for the sake of your Savior, Jesus Christ.

Sign up for the free cup of coffee. Live in view of the free blood of mercy, offered by the God-man who drank the cup of God's righteous wrath in your place. Praise to Him alone!

Sunday, September 29, 2013

Thought of the Day: Professional and Personal

Greetings in Christ Jesus, Fellow Soldiers.

Put into close quarters and under the stress of constant risk and family strain, it is easy for some of our professional relationships with fellow soldiers to deteriorate.

Instead of figuring out reactive strategies to these problems after they arise, why not proactively engage the problem by engaging the person?

Have an issue with a fellow soldier? Work on having more personal conversations. Learn about what is going on in that soldier's life. (Also remember to always praise things you find praiseworthy!)

And instead of simply praying for God to give you patience and grace in that relationship, pray for the personal things you learn about in that person's life. Pray that God would grant them saving faith in Christ, or if they are already a believer, that God would bless them in grace they've been given.

After praying for them, continually ask them follow up questions to show your continued interest and thoughtfulness. Such an endeavor on the personal side could be your greatest aid on the professional side.

Friday, September 27, 2013

Thought of the Day: Watch Yourself

Greetings in Christ Jesus, Fellow Soldiers.

Another explosive article has been put out, showing the ravages of pornography in our society: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2432591/Experiment-convinced-online-porn-pernicious-threat-facing-children-today-By-ex-lads-mag-editor-MARTIN-DAUBNEY.html#ixzz2g6ThYb8h

What is largely an accepted habit and source of humor amongst soldiers and society alike has become the moral, relational, and professional atom bomb of our generation. Porn kills. It gradually destroys love and human dignity. It consumes time and wastes life. It is an addiction on a level with alcholism and its accessibility makes it a danger to a much wider swath of society than other addictions.

As with other issues, this is not the time for Christians to express their revulsion at this sin and express self-righteous indignation at something they (supposedly) have never struggled with. The reality is that the vast majority of our society and the vast majority of the Church struggles with this addiction.

If God has guarded your heart and eyes with this issue thus far, do not grow haughty, but pray that He would continue to guard you and be intentional about guarding yourself.

Romans 1 tells us of how mankind traded his love for the Creator for love of the creature. This universal idolatry is shown in the same chapter to devolve into foolishness. We pervert the beauty of love between man and woman in accordance with the created order for bizarre love that blurs the lines and twists the meaning and purpose of love.

Thankfully, there was no such equivocation or confusion in the mind of God as He set His love on His people from the beginning of time. And Christ remained undeterred as He disregarded all false loves in favor of securing His people to the glory of the Father. Live with God's love in mind, not the false loves that will inevitably erode the mind.

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Thought of the Day: Taking Stock

Greetings in Christ Jesus, Fellow Soldiers.

Survey your life today. What good gifts has God given you upon your post and at your sites? What is going well with you family while you have been gone? What have you learned? How have you grown? What has exceeded your expectations?

God does not allow us to remain static. He is always working in us to will and work according to His good pleasure (Phil. 2). That means that He is always working in and through you. And this fact will not change, for if He has given you Jesus, how will He not also give you all things (Rom. 8)?

Every good and perfect gift is from our heavenly Father, who does not change like shifting shadows (James 1). Take stock of your life today and count your undeserved, Christ-earned blessings. Today should be a day of gratitude, for surely goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our life, even in the valley of the shadow of death (Ps. 23). Praise be to God.

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

God's Word for the Day: Joel 2:1-11

The land is like the garden of Eden before them, but behind them a desolate wilderness, and nothing escapes them. (v3)

The book of Joel opened with prophecies and descriptions of Israel's impending doom, followed by calls to repentance. As noted before, that doom was but a small glimpse of the judgment to come, when rebellious man is held to account by the almighty, holy and just God of the universe.

As man has despoiled God's precious creation with his sin, so God will will use the elements of this world to bring man's comeuppance to bear. The beauty of creation will be cast in shadows on that great and horrible day, reflecting the shadow of sin that has fallen upon every heart.

Yet, in that day, creation will be remade, and as in the days of Eden, heaven and earth will be joined, with the earth serving as God's footstool. Man will no longer defile God's creation and creation will no longer be used to call man to account. The lion will lie down with the lamb. The tree of life will bear fruit for the healing of the nations. The river of the water of life, coming from Christ's eternal throne of grace, will bring eternal refreshment to the souls of God's people.

Let those who have been spared from the eternal devastation of God's righteous judgment rejoice in the salvation that has been secured for them by Christ Jesus!

Monday, September 23, 2013

No Better; No Worse

Luke 12:6-7 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Greetings in Christ Jesus, Fellow Soldiers.

I have seen many a soldier in our unit year for life at his/her sister post. Somehow, even in this barrent landscape, the grass always seems greener at the post you're not at. At one post, people work much longer hours. At the other post, people are constantly outside the wire. Which one is better? Which one is worse?

Ultimately, we should not to our circumstances are those of our brothers/sisters in arms to determine our present well being. It doesn't matter whether your post offers shade or a larger DFAC--if you are in Christ, you are sustained by Christ--"even the hairs of your head are all numbered." Nothing will snatch you from His hand (John 10), and if you have been given Christ, how will you not also be given all things? (Rom. 8)

God graciously and tenderly cared for me at my prior post and at my present post. And if God is for us in Christ Jesus, who cares how we fare in relation to other people?

Sunday, September 22, 2013

God's Word for the Day: Joel 1:13-20

Put on sackcloth and lament, O priests; wail, O ministers of the altar. Go in, pass the night in sackcloth, O ministers of my God. (v13)

When we were disobedient as children, our parents would render judgment upon us in the form of some sort of discipline. Even in the those tender ages, our sinful nature was often put on display as we would protest our innocence, disrespect our parents' discipline, lie, etc. While this wasn't always the case, we must all admit that we did not always respond to the just judgments of our parents as we should have. The proper response to judgment is repentance--a sorrow for sin and turning from it unto God.

In the first section of Joel, we see the physical judgments of God coming into play for the disobedient people of Israel. Now they are called to repentance--"put on sackcloth"--which is the appropriate response. Yet even at this point, the days of the nation of Israel as God's chosen nation are forever drawing to a close. This is largely the point of all the Prophetic books--to prosecute God's case against His people and render just judgment: exile.

Alongside the theme of judgment, however, is one of hope. No amount of repentance will restore the Israelites to this earthly promised land. They have shown that man cannot earn an earthly promised land, let alone a heavenly one. The hope held forth is for a new man, a perfect man, to stand in the place of God's people and earn for them the heavenly promised land.

So repentance is still the proper response for the Isrealites, not to return to a land, but to return to the God of promise--a God who has promised that such a man would come to crush the head of the serpent (Gen. 3:15; 1 Cor. 15) by being torn apart like an animal, not for His own failure, but for that of His people (Gen. 15; Is. 53).

My friends, our sin is always before us and it is against God alone (Ps. 51). He alone can offer the forgiveness of sins, and He has done so for us through the perfect life and sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. Our appropriate response to this incredible, merciful work is a lifestyle of grateful repentance. As we view our sickening sin and consider what it merits (death), we should also view our suffering Savior and what He merited (our life), grieve of our sin as an affront to God, and turn with joy to Jesus, who has guaranteed that our Father will never turn a deaf ear to our cries.

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Word of the Day: Adoption

Greetings in Christ Jesus, Fellow Soldiers.

When you think of adoption, you probably think of that act by which a family take a child that does not belong to them by blood and makes that child their own. Many of you might know someone who has adopted child, with the ensuing challenges and blessings.

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then you have been adopted by God into His family. This is why Jesus is called the firstborn of many brothers (of which you are one!), and by the power of the Holy Spirit (God's irrevocable gift to His children), you are able to call out to the Almighty God as your Father (all of these concepts found in Rom. 8).

In other words, the entire Trinity is involved with your adoption into God's family.The beautiful thing about your adoption by God is that it is not dependent upon your blood or your work. It is dependent on God's love, which stretched forth from eternity into history through the work of Jesus Christ until it conquered your very heart by the Holy Spirit.

In fact, you were very much not a part of His family apart from His grace. You were not a child of God, but a child of wrath (Eph. 2). You were an alien to His promises and a stranger to His covenant. We know His love in this--while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Rom. 5).

Next time you witness the love of a parent for an adopted child, remember that you too were once an outsider who now knows the love of the greatest Father in the world, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Sunday, September 15, 2013

What Really Matters (Phil. 1:18-30/Last in Series)

In Philippians 3, Paul goes after those heretics who would add their own righteousness to that of Christ in order to be saved. He tells them that if any man has reason to boast, it would be him. He was a Hebrew of Hebrews, a Pharisee of Pharisees--you get the point. But he considers all of this rubbish (lit. refuse/excrement) compared to knowing Christ. It is all about Christ!

Little noticed in the list of Paul's former accomplished is the phrase "as for zeal, a persecutor of the church." You must think that he took a labored breath as he, by God's inspiration, penned that line. One of his greatest accomplishments prior to Christ was the murder of his Christian brother, Stephen, and violence against his Christian family. This little line provides a portal through which we can learn more about what it meant for Paul to say "To live is Christ and to die is gain" (1:21). We must consider God's grace to Paul, starting with that dark day of Stephen's murder so many years before.

On that day, a young, firey Christian named Stephen did what he normally did--share Christ and Him crucified. God's Word was a fire in his bones, and by the power of God's Word and Spirit, Stephen's wisdom in sharing the Scriptures couldn't be refuted. As a result, many of the self-righteous religious leaders concocted false charges against him and put him on trial before the Sanhedrin. It is likely that Saul of Tarsus was there for most if not all of these proceedings.

Looking then through Saul's eyes, he watched as Stephen made no defense of himself before the Sanhedrin, but put them on trial for joining their fathers in rejecting God's Word and resisting His Spirit, culminating in their crucifixion of God's Son, Jesus Christ. Saul, like the others, wasn't particularly happy about being called a rebel and murderer of Christ, and thus led a mob to murder Stephen.

As he watched with approval, he found himself looking upon something highly usual--even as he was crushed by boulders, Stephen's face shined like that of an angel as he seemed transfixed. Stephen declared that he had seen heaven opened and the Son of Man standing at God's right hand. At this, Saul and his band cried out and rushed at Stephen to finish the murder. But even at his last, Stephen took the words of his Savior upon his lips: Forgive them!

The great church father, Augustine, believes that this event marked the beginning of Paul's conversion. Paul owes his conversion, Augustine asserts, to the prayers of Stephen. It was as if Christ closed the skies upon one vision, and opened them in another above the road to Damascus. Let us not think that God is deaf to our prayers!

In Stephen, Paul saw the embodiment of that great theme of the Christian life: To live is Christ and to die is gain. He saw in Stephen's call (to make Christ known), and Stephen's comfort (his heavenly citizenship and being carried by Christ). These great realities are what stood behind Paul's inspired phrase--to live is Christ and to die is gain--and stand behind that theme in our own lives as well. We'll discuss these further in the days ahead.

To be continued...

Saturday, September 14, 2013

God's Word for the Day: Joel 1:1-12

Lament like a virgin wearing sackloth, for the bridegroom of her youth. (v8)

God's people had failed, and there would be consequences. While nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord, there were clear earthly consequences for the rebellion of God's people in the Old Testament: exile from the Promised Land. In order to stay in the land of milk and honey, God demanded that the people keep the Law of the land (Deut. 28).

Of course, the people would not and could not keep the Law. They were sinners, like us. And God knew that they would fail and that He would exile them. Why then would He put them in this position? To point both them and us to the cross (Gal. 3:24). If God's people in the Old Testament couldn't maintain an earthly promised land by their obedience, how could we possibly merit our heavenly promised land with ours?

We would need a new Israel, Jesus, who would perfectly obey God's law and earn heaven for us by His own righteousness, and then suffer our hell--our exile--in the grave.

In our passage today, we see the physical demise of Israel, fulfilling God's promise of exile and illustrating the spiritual consequences of our sin--death, weeping, and gnashing of teeth. We also see a picture of the Final Judgment, when man will not only face the terror of earthly judgment, but the hellish terror of eternal judgment.

Yet here is our assurance: We need not lament like a virgin wearing sackloth, bearing the filthy, damn-worthy rags of our own deeds. Our bridegroom is Christ Jesus, who has dressed us in His own righteousness--who has washed us white in His own blood. Secured in Christ alone, we prepare for an eternal wedding feast in a heavenly promised land, not a funeral and exile in Hell. Let us rejoice.

Friday, September 13, 2013

Thought of the Day: Guard Your Thought of the Day

Greetings in Christ Jesus, Fellow Soldiers.

We talk often about not growing complacent and placing ourselves in positions of unnecessary physical risk. Yet, what are we doing to our minds and hearts when we are complacent about the risks we expose them to?

It is said that with regard to the opposite sex, it is okay to look, but not to touch. Is it okay to look? Would that person mind if they knew you were looking? Even if they didn't mind, how might such thoughts affect your relationship to that person? Are you thinking of them as a person with dignity or a collection of parts?

Friends, we must guard our hearts and minds. Jesus tells us that lusting after someone is tantamount to adultery (Matt. 5). Why fill your mind with thoughts of someone who doesn't belong to you, when you could be dreaming of the day you are reunited with your spouse? Why obsess over a fellow creature when you can glorify and enjoy the Creator of the universe?

Why not think of Christ, who did not cast His heart upon you to exploit you, but to save you at the cost of His own blood? What a wonderful Savior we have!

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Chains: What are they good for? Pt. 2 (Phil. 1:12-18)

Against the mockery of his opponents, Paul asserted to his brothers and sisters in the Philippian church that his chains were not only not a hindrance for the Gospel, but were in fact serving to advance the Gospel.

In our last post on this passage, we noted that one way in which our chains serve to advance the Gospel: They exalt Christ. The imperial guard was apparently rocked by the Gospel, which they heard from the mouth of Paul and reinforced by his willingness to suffer for the Gospel. In our weakness, God's strength in magnified. Let us not be a den of self-righteous hypocrites who direct eyes to our own filthy rags! May we be willing to suffer the shackles of sin and suffering--following our Savior in His humilitation--that His glory might be made known.

Our chains accomplish another purpose: They give courage. Due to Paul's chains, other believers were emboldened to declare the Gospel without fear (v14). It is one thing to cling to the Gospel when it doesn't cost very much. But what about when it does? You may be scared of that very thought. So was Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor who opposed Hitler and fearlessly proclaimed the Gospel in the darkest days of the Reich. He worried about how he would respond to suffering and the possibility of death. Yet, when that day came, it was said by a German guard that he had never seen somebody so submissive to the will of God.

The chains of believers flesh out for other believers the sufficiency of God's grace. What are these present sufferings compared to the eternal glory set forth in Jesus Christ (Rom. 8)? In Paul, the Philippian church (and others) saw that the Gospel we proclaim is the Gospel that sustains us against everything the world can throw at us (and we can throw at ourselves). If Paul, facing death, can still be absorbed with the overwhelming desire to see Christ proclaimed, then God can surely sustain us as well. In the present day, when we learn of believers holding fast to Christ as they are being executed for His sake in Tanzania, Columbia, the Sudan, Nigeria, most all of southern Asia, and elsewhere--we know that we too can be given the strength of His Spirit if that day comes to us as well.

The reality is, we are all bound by chains. There is not a one of us that shares the Gospel from a point of sinlessness. Should that truth be convicting? Absolutely! Should it be paralyzing? Never! Even as Paul considers the malicious men who preach the Gospel while mocking him, he rejoices. He doesn't care about the motivation as much as he cares about the message: Christ is Savior and Lord (vv15-18).

The message is more important than the messenger of his motives. This truth flies in the face of modern trends to devalue doctrine as inconsequential, but elevate a person's piety as if it is all that matters. A struggling sinner in the pew who clearly shares the Gospel is of infinitely more value the greatest religious figure in the world's eyes, if that figure so happens to diminish the truth, beauty, and power of the Gospel in any respect. Does this mean that our lives and good works don't matter? Not at all. But our goal is to show forth the life and saving work of Christ beyond all things.

Brothers and sisters, take courage in your chains. Christ Jesus bore the chains, the whip, the nails, the cross--even your sin. The Gospel is that Jesus Christ did this for the worst of sinners, like you and me. Let us refocus our lives--not on being good people, but entrusting ourselves, our growth, and our perseverence to our Good Shepherd. Chains restrain the sinner; They proclaim the Gospel.

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Thought of the Day: More Than Life

Life is precious. We know that. We want to extend our lives and those of our family and enjoy the richness and beauty that God has afforded us in this world.

But life is not the most important thing. We know that as well. That is why we're willing to give up our lives for those we love. There are things more important than life.

Paul writes "I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me--the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace."

In this current period of uncertainty, remember that our purpose is to bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. Do not grow so obsessed with life itself that you forget your purpose in life.

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Thought of the Day: Where is Home?

Greetings in Christ Jesus, Fellow Soldiers.

As I prepare to transition from one post to another, I am reminded how difficult transitions can be. We love to feel safe and secure in the routine and predictability of a given time, place and pattern. When that changes, it can throw us off. But it can also remind us to not take any given station of life for granted. We will be constant flux in this world, as pilgrims just passing through.

Let us remember that our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior form there, the Lord Jesus Christ (Phil. 3:20). We already have a place in the heavenly realm. That is why we're told to set our minds on things above, where Christ is. When Christ, who is our life, appears, we will also appear with Him in glory (Col. 3:1-4). We should set our minds of Christ and our heavenly home at all times, knowing that no transition in this world can shake our standing with God.

Saturday, September 7, 2013

Chains: What are they good for? (Ph. 1:12-18)

Greetings in Christ Jesus, Fellow Soldiers.

Despite the mockery of his opponents, Paul has made no defense of himself thus far in the book of Philippians. He starts off by marveling that God's people are slaves of Christ, saints in Christ, and saved by Christ (vv1-2), before expressing profound gratitude at that fact (vv3-7). This identity in Christ binds God's people and even grants them hope amidst suffering. And as Paul suffers, he overflows with love for God's people--not with his own love, but with the affection of Christ Jesus (vv8-10). They are his band of brothers, bought with precious blood of Jesus Christ.

Yet, the mockery of Paul's opponents still stands. They are likely ridiculing him for winding up in prison. What type of ministry was he aiming for? It obviously won't be successful now. He seems to be a failed apostle, as opposed to those still proclaiming Christ with their freedom and rights intact.

But Paul recognizes a fundamental truth: Chains may restrain the sinner, but they proclaim the Gospel. He recognizes right off the bat that rather than detracting from his ministry, Paul's chains have actually served to advance the Gospel (v12). This should blow our minds! We live in a society and culture today that weighs value in terms of freedom. "Unless I have this right or that, we cry, then I am not being valued and my life is made a mockery." But as Paul surrendered his civil rights, God's grace was sufficient as His strength was made manifest in Paul's weakness. And God uses our chains as well. Here's how:

Our chains exalt Christ. According to Paul, the whole imperial guard now knows that his imprisonment is for Christ (v13). The Philippians can certainly relate to this dramatic display of Christ's power, as one of their own number--the Philippian jailor--was converted much the same way (Acts 16). This reality should present many Christians today with a radical paradigm shift--Christianity does not best advance through worldly power, but under it.

While Paul remained free, perhaps his oratorical skills and wisdom would make people marvel at him. But shackled as a criminal, Paul's weakness revealed the beauties of Christ. Why suffer for Christ and even face death for him? Because Christ, the eternal Shepherd of our souls, is worth more than life. Why are approximately 10,000 people coming to Christ a day in the Chinese underground Church? Why do famine-afflicted Malawians give the first fruits of their crops each season to the Church? Because Christ and the spread of His fame is worth it.

It has been noted by certain prominent psychologists that the ever-looming confrontation with death is at the core of many common psychological struggles. That should make sense to us according to our everyday experience. We avoid the thought or mention of death at all costs. We like to feel invincible. We also treat suffering as if there's nothing worse. One of the primary arguments in favor of abortion is that we might be preventing a child from suffering through poverty and lifelong disabilities. But what is there is a purpose behind suffering? As John Piper boldly entitled one of his books, "Don't Waste Your Cancer."

There are worse things than suffering and death. And those worse things center around the eternal suffering and death that belong to the damned. Not only are there worse things, but suffering and death need not scare or intimidate. For Paul--for the Christian--suffering is part of God's holy, wise, and powerful providence and death is not the gaping abyss of damnation, but a portal unto greater life in the heavenly realms with Jesus Christ. Far be it for chains to be a cause of grief! They point the world to the glories of Jesus Christ. And that is a cause worth dying for.

To be continued...

Thursday, September 5, 2013

No BS BS: The Gospel According to Noah--A Preview of Things to Come

Greetings in Christ Jesus, Fellow Soldiers.

Feel free to follow along with today's No BS BS discussion:


I.                    Reminder: Two Lines (Gen. 3-4)

a.       Result of Fall—enmity between seed of woman and seed of serpent

b.      What did this enmity look like in the real world as seen in Gen. 4?

c.       Camera on Cain’s line in ch.4—gets much worse (Lamech)

d.      What hope does end of ch4 offer? Ch5 points camera at line of God’s people.

II.                  Mankind’s Verdict: Judgment (Read Gen. 6:11-13)

a.       What does God see upon the earth? Violence points us back to what?

b.      How widespread is the problem and thus subject to judgment?

c.       Those made from earth have soiled the earth, which will exact justice.

d.      Floods—great symbol of judgment (undo Creation, Exodus, baptism)

III.                Angle 1 on Noah: Saved by Faith (Read Gen. 6:8-9, 22; Heb. 11:7)

a.       As God searched earth in judgment, how did Noah appear to God (v8)?

b.      What are three reasons for this? (righteous, blameless, relationship)

c.       How can Noah be part of “all flesh” and still “find favor?” (Heb. 11:7)

                                                               i.      Heard Word of God and knew it to be reality

                                                             ii.      At center was Promised One, Noah inheritor of His righteousness by faith

d.      Gen. 8:20-21—what type of sacrifice? (Followed pattern) How is it received?

IV.                Angle 2 on Noah: Type of Savior (Read Heb. 11:7; Gen. 7:1)

a.       Not only looked into future to Savior from judgment, but pictured Him

b.      Was Noah the only one saved by his righteousness? Others through him.

c.       Those united to Noah as family are spared from floods of judgment.

V.                  A Sovereign Salvation (Read Gen. 7:10-24)

a.       Did God’s Word come to pass? Through ordinary means.

b.      Was it the floods that blotted the people out? Sovereign judgment.

c.       But didn’t Noah and family save themselves with ark (v16)? Lord shut them in.

VI.                Preview of Things to Come (Read 2 Pet. 2:4-10; Gen. 9:1-3)

a.       What are we told the Noahic flood points forward to? Final judgment and salvation.

b.      In world where all flesh deserves judgment, our hope is in righteousness of another.

c.       Heb. 9:15—Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.

d.      Gen. 9:1-3—out of final judgment, those saved walk out with a new life on a new world

e.      The offended earth became place of death/returning dust, now host to life

Question of the Day: Feeling Helpless?

Greetings in Christ Jesus, Fellow Soldiers.

It is easy to feel helpless on a deployment. Why? Because in certain ways we are! If (really, when) your family faces hardship, there is not much you can do. You can talk with them, care for them from afar, pray for them--but you can't hold them or physically protect them.

Deployment reinforces the reality that God is sovereign (all-controlling) over this world and every life is in His hand. To Him, then, we must cast our lives and those of our loved ones. Embrace your helplessness, but our God is mighty to save.

Feeling helpless today? Good! Cast your burden upon Christ.

"Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to make you stand in his presence with glory, blameless with great joy--to the only God our savior through Jesus Christ our Lord--be all glory, majesty, authority, and power, now and forever more. Amen." (Jude's Doxology)

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Thought of the Day: Don't Worry--You're Weak!

"Why was this man born blind?" Jesus was asked, "Was it he who sinned or his parents?"

Ultimately, Jews of Jesus' day had a faulty view of sin and suffering. Instead of suffering being the result of mankind's sin from the beginning of time, it was a direct result of one's personal sin. Never mind that David, for example, often noted that the righteous often suffer in this world while the unrighteous often flourish. Yet he saw their reversed destinies in heaven and found comfort.

Jesus said "It was neither this man who sinner nor his parents, but so that the works of God may be revealed." Jesus wasn't saying this man was without sin--simply the issue of sin was neither here nor there in this encounter. With that, Jesus gave sight to the blind man. (John 9)

At the end of the day, the Son of God sought out a broken, suffering sinner--not to exploit his suffering, but to reveal the glory and grace of God.

My Friends, we are broken, suffering sinners. We were not chosen because of anything good in us. But God, in His eternal, unconditional love for His people, sought out the most of broken of sinners in human history--including you and me--and united us to Himself in Jesus Christ. That way, the world would see God's strength most clearly revealed.

As Paul later said, "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst. But is was for that very reason that He came--so that in me, the worst of sinners, He might display His unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe and have eternal life." (1 Tim. 1:15-16)

Feeling weak today? Don't worry, you are. But you have a gracious God who chose you for that very reason, and He is your strength. In your weakness, shine in His glorious strength today.

Question of the Day: Where is your blindspot?

Greetings in Christ Jesus, Fellow Soldiers.

We often don't know we have a blindspot until someone crashes into it. That person might say something that triggers various unresolved sin issues--anger, insecurity, anxiety--and then catch our wrath. That person might even point out that something about us is off because our reaction is disproportionate. But we often dismiss what they say because we don't see that issue for ourselves.

Whenever we experience an ungodly thought or feeling, we have an opportunity to dissect why exactly it is that we think or feel that way. We can pray with the Psalmist in Psalm 139 "See if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the everlasting way."

Praise be to God, our every trespass is nailed to the cross of Christ, including the sinful thoughts and feelings that are unexposed to us. They are known to God and forgiven in Christ. Let us pray, "Lord, where is my blindspot?" and seek to live more wholeheartedly in His service, by His grace alone.

Sunday, September 1, 2013

Thought of the Day: Got a Book?

Greetings in Christ Jesus, Fellow Soldiers.

I am just finishing the last book in a three part trilogy on WWII, written by Rick Atkinson. The books are long (on average, about 700 pages each), but they are superb. You are privileged to sit in the commander's seat with Eisenhower and Patton, and humbled to rest in the frozen trenches alongside a precious, bled-out young twentysomething who will never see home again. If you have a Nook or Kindle, read these powerful books.

But read a book! Most of us spend our few free hours late in the evening playing video games or watching movies. There is a time for letting our minds slumber; There is time for reawakening our minds to new things.

A great starting point is the Bible. If it's been a while, then start in a place you haven't been in a while (or have never been). And ask questions of the Text: What does this say about God--His character and standard for man? What does this say about mankind--his dignity and depravity? What does this say about me as a sinner? What does this say about my need for a Savior and how Christ alone could fulfill that role? How then shall I live?

Remember, God's Word has the power to make you wise unto salvation (2 Tim. 3:15) and is God-breathed, useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness so the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good word (3:16-17).

Thought of the Day: Rest Optional?

Greetings in Christ Jesus, Fellow Soldiers.

Most of us work every day of the week, usually for 12+ hours each day. Outside of those twelve hours, we try to do everything else we feel we need to do: laundry, workout, call the family, etc. It is easy to say "I'd love to rest, but I don't have the time."

The only problem is, we need to rest--not only for our physical endurance and mental resilience, but also for the refreshment of our souls. Jesus said "Come to me, you who are weary, and I will give you rest." He didn't say "If you have time..."

We need to rest in Christ. We need to rest in Christ each through reading the word and spending time in prayer ("Meditate on the word day and night."--Joshua 1). More importantly, we need to rest in Christ by attending chapel ("Do not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing."--Heb. 10). We not only do this because we are called to do it, but also because of the many gracious benefits God affords us through this time:

1) We get to hear God speak to us by His Word and Spirit through His appointed messenger.
2) We get to join in fellowship with those who will join us around the Throne when Christ returns.
3) We get to partake in the sacraments, which point us to the Day when faith becomes sight.
4) We get to celebrate our heavenly citizenship--that we are pilgrims passing through in this world.
5) We get to remember God's day of rest and continual reign after creating this world.
6) We get to remember that Jesus Christ enjoyed no rest in suffering and dying for us.
7) We get to remember that Jesus Christ's saving work has guaranteed us eternal rest.
8) We get to look forward to that eternal day of rest when God's reign is made visible.

Brothers and sisters, let us rest and celebrate!